Staff: Jennifer Spotted Bear

Anpetu Waste (Good Day),

Jennifer Spotted Bear na Lakol caje ki, Womni Omni Win emaciyapi

I am an Oglala Lakota tribal enrolled member from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation of Pine Ridge SD

I am humbly grateful for this opportunity to be a part of the Friends of the Children team to be able to help make a difference in the lives of our young wakanyenja (children)!

I have over 16 years of experience working with the youth on the Reservations and 21 years of working with the Oglala Lakota Oyate.

My life journey consists of spirituality, healing, mindfulness and being a great mother, relative and good human being. I feel like the beginning of a successful human being is understanding the process of growing the seed that is planted within us.

My goals in life are to work with the Oyate (people of my nation) to help connect with our Lakota ways of life, to understand and learn about each other.

I would like our youth on the reservation to have a program that will allow them to have a safe place to come to. So, they may get the life skills, spiritual, traditional cultural teachings/healings that will help mold them into becoming great relatives. I would also like to share my teachings with other parents on raising our children in a respectful, healthy environment by utilizing my life teachings and the skills I will gain with the Friends of The Children program. Teaching our virtues and mindfulness will be a huge factor in our program.

I feel that once we begin these kinds of healings with our young relatives, we will see a positive outcome within our homes, our communities and our educational systems.

Pilamiyaye (Thank you),

Jennifer Spotted Bear